BBC loses Songs of Praise to outside producers

Pam Rhodes, Aled Jones and Diane-Louise Jordan have all presented Songs of Praise on the BBCEmilie Sandy/PA

The BBC has lost production of Songs of Praise to two independent companies as part of the network’s drive to become more commercial.

BBC Studios said that it was “gutted” after losing the tender, worth £12 million over three years, to a joint bid from Avanti Media and Nine Lives Media. Songs of Praise will still be broadcast on BBC One but the format may change considerably. A Church of England bishop warned that the move could be “another nail in the coffin of the religious literacy of the nation”.

The corporation’s in-house centre has produced the programme since 1961 but will have to hand over its expertise and staff to the little-known companies. It is the first programme that has been won out of…